"A little extra care upfront saves you from playing indoor rain catcher later, trust me."
Haha, indoor rain catcher... been there, done that. Reminds me of when we first bought our house. Previous owner swore by his "super durable" metal roof, said it could survive anything short of an asteroid strike. First big storm rolls through, and guess what? Drip, drip, drip—right over the couch. Turns out, durability doesn't mean squat if the flashing around chimneys and vents isn't sealed properly.
You're spot on about installation being key. I've heard rubber shingles can be great if done right, but honestly, after my metal roof fiasco, I'm convinced any roofing material is only as good as the person putting it up there. Moral of the story: don't skimp on installers unless you're really into surprise indoor water features.
"durability doesn't mean squat if the flashing around chimneys and vents isn't sealed properly."
Exactly this. I've seen roofs made from top-notch materials fail miserably because someone rushed the flashing or skipped proper sealing. Had a similar experience myself—brand new shingles, first storm, and suddenly I'm scrambling for buckets. Good installation is everything... sounds like you learned it the hard way too. Glad you got it sorted eventually though, indoor waterfalls aren't as relaxing as they sound.
"Good installation is everything..."
True, but even perfect flashing won't save you if the shingles themselves aren't rated for extreme conditions. Recently installed impact-resistant shingles (Class 4 rating)—cost a bit more upfront, but insurance gave me a discount. Had a nasty hailstorm last month, neighbors lost shingles everywhere... mine held up without a scratch. Proper flashing matters, but investing in tougher materials definitely pays off too.
Interesting point about Class 4 shingles—I've seen them hold up impressively too. But have you looked into metal roofing options at all? We switched to a standing seam metal roof a couple years back, and it's been pretty solid through some nasty storms. A bit noisy during heavy rain, sure... but durability-wise, it's hard to beat. Curious if anyone else has compared long-term performance between impact-resistant shingles and metal roofs?
Had to smile at the rain noise comment—reminds me of a client who called me back after installing a metal roof, convinced something was wrong because it sounded like "a marching band tap-dancing" during storms. After checking it out, turns out everything was perfectly fine... just metal being metal.
On a serious note though, standing seam metal roofs are indeed impressive durability-wise. I've installed both Class 4 shingles and metal roofs, and honestly, both have their merits. Class 4 shingles are great at absorbing impacts (hail especially), but over the long haul, metal roofs tend to edge out slightly in terms of lifespan and weather resistance. The main downside is cost—metal's pricier upfront, but you do save on maintenance down the line. Plus, snow slides right off, which can be either a blessing or a curse depending on where your driveway is parked... learned that one the hard way myself.
